Sewing More than Fabric
April 19, 2024 12:55 PM Subscribe
What machine do you use for crafting?
I need a new sewing machine and I have a couple of Joann gift cards burning a hole in my pocket — plus they're having a sale! (And have declared bankruptcy...)
Beyond fabric, I want to sew various weights/thicknesses of paper, leather, and other heavy materials. I'm looking at the Singer 4411. Have you used one? Is it easy to thread? Would you recommend something else?
I need a new sewing machine and I have a couple of Joann gift cards burning a hole in my pocket — plus they're having a sale! (And have declared bankruptcy...)
Beyond fabric, I want to sew various weights/thicknesses of paper, leather, and other heavy materials. I'm looking at the Singer 4411. Have you used one? Is it easy to thread? Would you recommend something else?
FWIW, most pedals are basically just a variable resistor actuated by a pedal. If the machine is otherwise your dream rig, someone with a little electronics know-how can tune your pedal. I adjusted my Brother's pedal from the factory range of "first half of travel is 0-50%; rest of the pedal travel is FULL OPEN BABY" to more like 0-80% over the entire range, as I never run it wide open.
For heavy-duty work including leather, Sailrite is kind of the gold standard, with a price to match.
posted by xedrik at 1:46 PM on April 19, 2024 [6 favorites]
For heavy-duty work including leather, Sailrite is kind of the gold standard, with a price to match.
posted by xedrik at 1:46 PM on April 19, 2024 [6 favorites]
I do leatherworking and bought a Singer 4411 last fall so I could work while recovering from shoulder surgery. I've made several practice pieces to learn how to use it, but I can't say I'm an expert by any means.
In terms of materials, I've sewn two layers of 3oz leather with no problem, so 6oz thickness, and I've sewn practice lines through a piece of 7oz. It's not an industrial sewing machine, for sure, but it handled these tests pretty well. The problems I experienced resulted from my inexperience and not the machine itself. So, for example, the stitch length and straightness of a given line improves as I practice feeding the leather through. The challenge here is what crush said: it's not great at super slow speeds.
It will go slower than the Kenmore I have, but it won't go stitch by stitch like an industrial Juki would, for example. That makes going around corners and doing tricky stitch lines more dependent on my skill in using the machine than being able to adjust the machine to my needs. My understanding--which could be wrong!--is that the motor doesn't have enough torque to go super slow through thick materials. So adjusting the pedal to allow much slower speeds would work fine on thinner materials but would bog down in 12oz saddle leather or super-thick fabrics.
I'd say if you're familiar and comfortable with using a sewing machine, you could work with the limitation.
Threading the needle is easy--I have big fingers, and I'm able to use the needle-threader.
Juki and Sailwright are both machines I long for, but I'm not so committed to the hobby to invest that kind of money. The Singer works well for my limited use-cases, and I have no problem recommending it.
posted by malthusan at 1:56 PM on April 19, 2024 [1 favorite]
In terms of materials, I've sewn two layers of 3oz leather with no problem, so 6oz thickness, and I've sewn practice lines through a piece of 7oz. It's not an industrial sewing machine, for sure, but it handled these tests pretty well. The problems I experienced resulted from my inexperience and not the machine itself. So, for example, the stitch length and straightness of a given line improves as I practice feeding the leather through. The challenge here is what crush said: it's not great at super slow speeds.
It will go slower than the Kenmore I have, but it won't go stitch by stitch like an industrial Juki would, for example. That makes going around corners and doing tricky stitch lines more dependent on my skill in using the machine than being able to adjust the machine to my needs. My understanding--which could be wrong!--is that the motor doesn't have enough torque to go super slow through thick materials. So adjusting the pedal to allow much slower speeds would work fine on thinner materials but would bog down in 12oz saddle leather or super-thick fabrics.
I'd say if you're familiar and comfortable with using a sewing machine, you could work with the limitation.
Threading the needle is easy--I have big fingers, and I'm able to use the needle-threader.
Juki and Sailwright are both machines I long for, but I'm not so committed to the hobby to invest that kind of money. The Singer works well for my limited use-cases, and I have no problem recommending it.
posted by malthusan at 1:56 PM on April 19, 2024 [1 favorite]
Go for it. I have sewn leather and heavy vinyl with both light and medium duty machines, HOWEVER, you will drastically shorten the lifespan of the machine that way. I killed my bottom of the line 20 year old Elna sewing through several layers of heavy canvas and Velcro. The cost to repair it was more than the cost of the machine. When I brought it in for repair, my local place were hemming and hawing over me replacing it with a middle of the line Elna because they were worried I would break that one too.
For reference, a typical bottom of the line machine is around $200. These are disposable, IMHO, because the cost of any repair will usually exceed the price of the machine.
The Singer 4411 claims it will do leather, but it doesn't say for how long... Also, I suspect that "Heavy Duty" is a marketing term for Singer. Still, you have gift cards and the machine doesn't cost that much relatively speaking. Make sure that you buy appropriate needles for the materials you're sewing. There are needles specifically for certain materials (like leather and denim). Avoid Singer needles. One time when I brought a machine in for a tune-up, the repair guy made a couple tsk noises, took a Singer needle out of my machine and replaced it with a Schmetz. I asked him why and he said "Singer needles are garbage."
By comparison, I bought a Juki 8700 DDL last year and it is an absolute beast of a machine. It does one thing and it does it amazingly well: straight stitch. I have no issues sewing through very heavy weight materials (this is a sleeve for a Captain America Suit, I went through two layers of craft foam, heavy twill, and neoprene on one seam).
posted by plinth at 2:19 PM on April 19, 2024 [2 favorites]
For reference, a typical bottom of the line machine is around $200. These are disposable, IMHO, because the cost of any repair will usually exceed the price of the machine.
The Singer 4411 claims it will do leather, but it doesn't say for how long... Also, I suspect that "Heavy Duty" is a marketing term for Singer. Still, you have gift cards and the machine doesn't cost that much relatively speaking. Make sure that you buy appropriate needles for the materials you're sewing. There are needles specifically for certain materials (like leather and denim). Avoid Singer needles. One time when I brought a machine in for a tune-up, the repair guy made a couple tsk noises, took a Singer needle out of my machine and replaced it with a Schmetz. I asked him why and he said "Singer needles are garbage."
By comparison, I bought a Juki 8700 DDL last year and it is an absolute beast of a machine. It does one thing and it does it amazingly well: straight stitch. I have no issues sewing through very heavy weight materials (this is a sleeve for a Captain America Suit, I went through two layers of craft foam, heavy twill, and neoprene on one seam).
posted by plinth at 2:19 PM on April 19, 2024 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I have a Singer 4411 and have used it to sew through several layers of webbing and fabric to make some outdoor gear. It is easy to thread, although it doesn't have a needle-threading doohickey. It's a good price for a reliable sewing machine.
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:20 PM on April 19, 2024
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:20 PM on April 19, 2024
This review says Schmetz needles don't fit in the Singer, so that's something to check if you don't want to use Singer needles.
posted by crush at 5:48 PM on April 19, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by crush at 5:48 PM on April 19, 2024 [2 favorites]
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posted by crush at 1:34 PM on April 19, 2024 [1 favorite]